When it comes to applying for jobs, sometimes it can pay off to keep things short and sweet - though a standard resume should run to two pages in length, according to Caitlin Proctor, a certified professional resume writer for ZipJob. However, there are some instances where it is better to keep things to a single page, she noted.
"One-page resumes can be scanned over quickly by the human eye, so a one-page resume could appeal to in-person scenarios like job fairs and networking events," she said.
Proctor recommends graduates or first-time job applicants in particular keep things streamlined. "If you have a two-page resume with no work experience, it probably contains filler words and information that isn't relevant to your current job application," she explained. But while a concise approach can work out for some, brevity can sometimes go a little too far.
A prime example of this came to light on Reddit after a user writing as Firmteacher shared an image purporting to show a resume that was sent to his wife by one hopeful candidate.
To say the applicant kept things brief would be something of an understatement, with the resulting CV running just two sentences and 20 words in total. It can be read here.
Either addressed to or written by someone by the name of "Faith, M" the "resume" states: "was working for a trucking company. Just got fired for insubordination. Not true. Looking for the upright employer." The image of the purported resume quickly got attention, with the post amassing over 102,000 upvotes in the space of a few hours.
The reaction among those posting on social media was largely one of bemusement. Bot-magnet noted: "No phone or email listed, otherwise it's an eye-catcher" with no hidden meaning writing: "Playing hard to get. I like it."
Meattyloaf also commented: "Forward/direct, straight to the point. This person was built for business." Redneckpflap thought the applicant was "probably trying to get some kind of unemployment benefit and needs to apply for x numbers of jobs per week or something."
Several commenters also recalled their own experiences of receiving strangely brief job applications. BGL911 commented: "I had one at work once that had 'resumay.txt' at the top, and read simply 'I am hard work and English good. Please job.'"
Big_duo3674 also recalled: "We got an application with about half of the personal information filled out with words way out of order, and the for the all the rest of the sections he only put two single words in. Under the previous experience section, it said 'Making pizzys.'"
Secord-92, however, thought everyone was potentially missing a key detail - they work for a trucking company. "If they are a professional driver...this is likely enough to get hired somewhere pretty quickly!" they noted. DM591 agreed, commenting: "As a former OTR (on the road) driver, most companies don't even require a resume to get hired. So this individual actually went above and beyond."
Newsweek has contacted Firmteacher for comment.